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Clearing down a hard drive of data is a task that is often done when giving computers away or as a last resort when repairing PCs. Here, we will look at how to wipe a computer clean and when each approach is suitable.

How To Wipe A Computer Clean: Unsecure Formatting

Formatting drive is relatively simple and is most widely used when upgrading/reinstalling the operating system (to clear away junk files) or as part of computer maintenance and repair work when the operating system becomes unworkable.

Formatting can be done using Microsoft book disk that comes with your PC. If you do not have a copy then it can be downloaded from Microsoft support for your specific OS. Insert the disk in the floppy drive and reboot Windows. The computer will boot from the system files on the disk. At the ‘A’ drive command prompt, type Format C. The computer will present a warning about formatting (losing all your data) so click yes.

Once formatting ends, take out the boot disk, put in the Windows installation CD and reboot to start the install.

Formatting is not recommended as a data wiping approach before giving away your computer. The process wipes away file information from the file allocation table, but the documents data clusters are left on the disk and easily read using data recovery software.

How To Wipe A Computer Clean: Complete Data Eraser Tools

For total data protection when passing your computer on to someone else, the recommended approach is to use data eraser applications.

These tools (of which there are many) work by recursively saving files to the available data clusters on the hard disk in order to completely overwrite your files. Even data recovery software will struggle to find any fragments of data after these applications have been run.